The Oracle Cave
by TeachingGods
Summary: This is a one shot I wrote for Percy and Annabeth visiting Rachel's cave for the first time. Since I referred to it in Summer at Camp, I thought I would post it here.


"I've heard of a man cave but never an Oracle cave," Percy says with a chuckle, as he walks up the path holding Annabeth's hand.

"You know it was Apollo's idea, so it probably is a man, er god, cave," she says with a chuckle.

"I don't know. I bet Rachel had a lot of say in decorating the place. She can be really stubborn when she wants something," Percy says then is cut off by a voice from on the other side of a deep purple curtain.

"You've got that right," Rachel agrees with a laugh. The curtain parts in the middle, as Rachel pokes her head out. "Hi guys," she continues excitedly, "You're my first guests, well except for Apollo but he doesn't really count since he helped me fix the place up."

"So would we normally knock on the curtain?" Percy asks.

"What a moron, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth says rolling her eyes.

"Well I wouldn't want to walk in on anything," Percy says looking a little embarrassed.

"I'm the Oracle now. Trust me when I tell you that you'll never walk in on what you're thinking, but you can just give me a shout unless the curtain is already open of course," Rachel tells them, as she now pulls the curtain aside and shows them inside.

"Wow, look at this!" Annabeth says in complete amazement.

"It's really, well funky," Percy says, "Like you."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Rachel says with a smile.

"Is that a couch or your bed?" Annabeth asks looking at the raised oval shaped platform with what looks like a thick mattress and about a hundred pillows all of which are covered in satin or velvet in various shades of purple.

"Both actually," Rachel says walking over with Annabeth.

"May I?" Annabeth asks with a grin.

"Sure thing, but I have to warn you that you might not want to get back out. It's really comfy," Rachel says as she motions with her hand for Annabeth to climb on in.

"Oh my gods this is awesome, Percy come here and try this," Annabeth says, as she pulls a cashmere throw blanket over her.

"As much as climbing into bed with you might make my day," Percy says, "It's not going to be Rachel's bed." Rachel rolls her eyes and shoves Percy from behind knocking him into the bed anyway. Then she climbs in with them.

"What the…" Percy says then looks at Rachel. "What kind of mattress is this? We don't have anything like this in our cabins."

"I have no idea. Apollo just said it was bedding fit for the gods. I guess it pays to be the Oracle of Delphi," Rachel tells him with a grin that says _envy me you little demigod_.

After a couple of minutes of bedding envy, Percy spies a remote control and grabs it. "What's this for?" he asks because he doesn't notice any electronics except for Rachel's lap top.

"That is for my home theater system," she says with a laugh.

"I thought he was kidding about that," Percy says, as he starts to push buttons.

"How many times have you heard a god kid about something," Rachel says with a smile.

"Not many," Annabeth says finally pulling herself out of bedding bliss.

"This is freakin' awesome," Percy says, as the screen descends from the cave ceiling, "Do you have cable?"

"Satellite," she tells him then add, "I also get Hephaestus TV and a special rainbow network for IMs."

Percy quickly becomes lost in a world of sports channels.

"Let me show you around," Rachel says reaching for Annabeth's hand. Annabeth really doesn't want to get up, but she lets Rachel drag her from the bed for a tour. "This is my kitchen area. I only have a mini-fridge and a microwave, but it's great for popcorn. We should have a girl's only night," Rachel continues.

"I heard that," Percy grumbles, not taking his eyes off the huge television screen and the Rangers game he found.

"That would be a lot of fun," Annabeth agrees, "I think we need some normal teenage things to take our minds off of all the…" All three of them knew what they had just been through and all the losses. Annabeth didn't really feel like she needed to say it, nor did she want to.

"Can we borrow the place for a guy's night then?" Percy asks.

"No," Rachel says, "I'm not letting a bunch of boys destroy my home. You can always hang out in the big house game room."

"Yeah, now that Mr. D. is back that would be a lot of fun. Yes!" Percy shouts pumping his fist in the air. "Sorry, Rangers just scored," he says a little embarrassed.

Rachel notices that Annabeth has walked over to the studio area of her cave, so she joins her. "Your art work is amazing," she says.

"Thanks, I haven't always known before where some of the images come from, but now it makes more sense to me," Rachel says looking at the picture she did of Luke before she even knew who he was.

"Rachel," Annabeth says now looking straight at her, "I know we didn't exactly get off to a great start…"

"Don't worry about it. I consider that to be behind us now," Rachel says, as she puts her hand on her friends shoulder.

"But I was such a…"

"I know, but you thought I was trying to get Percy. I actually thought for a little while that I _was_ trying to get Percy, but now I know how stupid that was," Rachel says.

"Excuse me," Percy says thinking that might have been an insult.

"I just mean that it's so obvious that the two of you are great together, and I'm so not meant to be with anyone," Rachel explains.

"Does it really not bother you that you'll never have a boyfriend?" Annabeth asks.

"Six months ago I would have told you that it did bother me, but now I just think it's right. What I'm meant to do means so much more than any intimate relationship ever could," Rachel tells her.

After several more minutes of looking at Rachel's artwork, Annabeth says, "Rachel, would you do a picture of Percy and me?"

"Sure, what medium would you like?" Rachel asks her.

"I like your charcoals a lot, but your paint is really nice too," Annabeth says finding it hard to choose.

"Well what size were you thinking? That might make a difference in your decision," Rachel says flipping through some of her empty canvases.

"Big," Annabeth says holding her arms about three feet apart.

"What would you do with a picture of us that big?" Percy asks glancing up from the screen in time to see how wide she has her arms stretched.

"I'd find a place for it, besides we'll have a home some day? Won't we," she says looking back at him with a stare that says _you'd better be saying yes_.

"Um…Yes," he says nodding like a brainwashed zombie.

"I'll just have to find a place to keep it until then," Annabeth says turning back toward the assorted canvases.

"You could send it to your mom to keep it for us," Percy says with a snicker just barely loud enough for the girls to hear. They both just look at him then bust up laughing.

After they catch their breaths, Rachel says, "Maybe I should do three just in case Athena and Poseidon both want a copy for their own places."

"Amphitrite would never let him put it up," Percy says seriously. Then after getting a good look at Rachel's face, says, "Oh…that was a joke." Annabeth rolls her eyes and mumbles under her breath.

"We should watch a movie or something, so Percy doesn't have to think anymore," Rachel says jokingly.

"Can I finish the game first, there's just under three minutes left in the third period?" Percy says as begging.

"Fine, I'll make some popcorn," Rachel tells him then heads to her little kitchen.


End file.
